The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 eBook

three worlds, and shone like the bright Sun-god at
the moment of his ascension in the heavens. And
that being of wonderful prowess and matchless strength,
seated on the top of that hill, looked on with his
numerous faces directed towards the different cardinal
points, and observing various things, he repeated his
loud roars. And on hearing those roars various
creatures were prostrate with fear. And frightened
and troubled in mind they sought protection. And
all those persons of various orders who then sought
the protection of that god are known as his powerful
Brahmana followers. And rising from his seat,
that mighty god allayed the fears of all those people,
and then drawing his bow, he discharged his arrows
in the direction of the White Mountain. And with
those arrows the hill Krauncha, the son of Himavat,
was rent asunder. And that is the reason why
swans and vultures now migrate to the Sumeru mountains.
The Krauncha hill, sorely wounded, fell down uttering
fearful groans. And seeing him fallen, the other
hills too began to scream. And that mighty being
of unrivalled prowess, hearing the groans of the afflicted,
was not at all moved, but himself uplifting his mace,
yelled forth his war-whoop. And that high-souled
being then hurled his mace of great lustre and quickly
rent in twain one of the peaks of the White Mountain.
And the White Mountain being thus pierced by him was
greatly afraid of him and dissociating himself from
the earth fled with the other mountains. And
the earth was greatly afflicted and bereft of her
ornaments on all sides. And in this distress,
she went over to Skanda and once more shone with all
her might. And the mountains too bowed down to
Skanda and came back and stuck into the earth.
And all creatures then celebrated the worship of Skanda
on the fifth day of the lunar month.

SECTION CCXXV

“Markandeya continued, ’When that powerful,
high-souled, and mighty being was born, various kinds
of fearful phenomena occurred. And the nature
of males and females, of heat and cold, and of such
other pairs of contraries, was reversed. And
the planets, the cardinal points and the firmaments
became radiant with light and the earth began to rumble
very much. And the Rishis even, seeking the welfare
of the world, while they observed all these terrific
prodigies on all sides, began with anxious hearts
to restore tranquillity in the universe. And those
who used to live in that Chitraratha forest said,
This very miserable condition of ours hath been brought
about by Agni cohabiting with the six wives of the
seven Rishis.’ Others again who had seen
the goddess assume the disguise of a bird said, ‘This
evil hath been brought about by a bird.’
No one ever imagined that Swaha was the authoress
of that mischief. But having heard that the (new
born) male child was hers, she went to Skanda and
gradually revealed to him the fact that she was his
mother. And those seven Rishis, when they heard
that a son of great power had been born (to them),
divorced their six wives with the exception of the
adorable Arundhati, because all the dwellers of that
forest protested that those six persons had been instrumental
in bringing forth the child. Swaha too, O king,
said again and again to the seven Rishis, saying, ’Ye
ascetics, this child is mine, your wives are not his
mother.’